I’ve been thinking recently about CBB’s Mission Statement: “a diverse, inclusive community of individuals and families building together a warm and vibrant house of living Judaism.” I like the mission statement but when I read it closely, I see many words – ‘community, building, house’ – which imply a physical space. How, in this time of Covid and social [...]
Judy Karin: But the zucchini, of course, will be fine. Lately my attention span, never particularly long, has shrunk to roughly the same length as that of a puppy. Whether I can blame this on the stress of the pandemic or not, I can’t say for sure. I just finished jigsaw puzzle #16. The first [...]
Barbara Greenleaf: The Fifth Commandment in the Age of Covid While gathering information for my new book, Parents of Adult Children: You Are Not Alone, I found that while most of the older generation takes the fifth commandment, “Honor thy father and mother,” quite literally, the younger generation puts a different and much more casual [...]
Susan Rakov: Covid Wanderings That first week, the moment I break down is when I get the email that CBB is closing its doors. I was involved in a painful decision a few days before to close down 50 offices and cancel thousands of summer jobs, but the emotional impact hits when I read that [...]
Rabbi Ira Youdovin: Welcome to the Jewish New Normal Early in the current era of lock-downs, my friend and colleague Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin suggested that American Judaism was having a Yavneh moment. Yavneh, a small town not far from what is now Tel Aviv, was where the rabbis gathered in the late first century C.E [...]
Danielle Drossel: How the Pandemic Turned Me Into a Balabusta [Unofficially] A balabusta is a Yiddish word that refers to a Jewish homemaker of the finest quality – a person who loves to bring family together, to cook for them, and create a warm and comforting home. I come from a long line of balabustas [...]
Marina Stephens: From Inside Out In my life, there were three periods when I found myself locked inside, while life went on in the world outside the limits of my confinement. The first one was when I was a teenager in the USSR working as a guide/translator with Italian tourists. When time came, we said [...]
Alvin Lever: Erev Shabbat Memories Walking towards CBB on Erev Shabbat hearing “Shabbat Shalom” from those you know and those you don’t. And then the evening progresses from the Oneg, to services, sermon, to the wonderful Kiddush afterwards. Just close your eyes and I’m sure you can see, hear, and enjoy the memory. I would [...]